Pathfinder Adventure Path: Skull & Shackles Player's Guide

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Player’s Guide credits Author • Rob McCreary Cover Artist • Christer Sveen Interior Artists • Michael Carlisle, Carolina Eade, Mikaël Léger, Daniel Rizea, Tyler Walpole, and Kieran Yanner

Publisher • Erik Mona Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens Vice President of Operations • Jeffrey Alvarez Director of Sales • Pierce Watters Finance Manager • Christopher Self Staff Accountant • Kunji Sedo Technical Director • Vic Wertz Campaign Coordinator • Mike Brock

Creative Director • James Jacobs Senior Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider Development • Patrick Renie Editing • Christopher Carey and Patrick Renie Editorial Assistance • Judy Bauer, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, Mark Moreland, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, and James L. Sutter Graphic Designer • Andrew Vallas Production Specialist • Crystal Frasier

Special Thanks The Paizo Customer Service, Warehouse, and Website Teams Paizo Publishing, LLC 7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 Redmond, WA 98052-0577 paizo.com

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OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.

6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Dead Man’s Chest © 2005 Necromancer Games, Inc.; Authors: Lance Hawvermale, Rob Mason, Robert Hunter, Patrick Goulah, Greg Ragland, Matt McGee, Chris Bernhardt, Casey W. Christofferson, Chad Coulter, Skeeter Green, and Travis Hawvermale, with additional contributions by Erica Balsley, Lindsey Barrentine, Jay Decker, Rachel Mason, and Nadine Oatmeyer. Skull & Shackles Player’s Guide © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Rob McCreary.

This product makes use of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide, Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic, and the Character Traits Web Enhancement. These rules can be found online as part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document at paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd. This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game. Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Skull & Shackles Player’s Guide © 2012, All Rights Reserved. Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Module, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, and Pathfinder Tales are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC.

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he shipping lanes of Golarion’s seas and oceans are filled with fat merchant vessels laden with trade goods both mundane and exotic, as well as the pirates and freebooters who prey on them. Under the banner of their Hurricane King, these buccaneers sally forth from that archipelago of lawless pirate ports and anchorages known as the Shackles, plundering the shipping of countless countries and trade consortiums, then vanishing back into the maze of islands and reefs they call home. The nations of the Inner Sea would like nothing more than to end the pirate menace once and for all, but the eternal hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego has thus far shielded the Free Captains of the Shackles from the threat of retaliation. In the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the PCs take on the role of pirates, but they must make a name for themselves in piracy, plunder, and disrepute to truly become infamous Free Captains of the Shackles. The most important thing to keep in mind when creating your character is that piracy plays a significant role in this Adventure Path—your character should want to become a pirate, or at least not be opposed to the idea. This guide offers some tips about the types of characters that will be best suited for adventuring in the Shackles, as well as campaign traits to f lesh out those characters’ backgrounds. Finally, it provides rules for ship-to-ship combat (including sample ships) that will play a major role in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path as the PCs captain their own ship in search of plunder and infamy!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PLAYERS Players interested in further immersing themselves in the world of Golarion and adding campaign-specific details relevant to the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path to their PCs’ background may wish to investigate the following Pathfinder campaign setting books. Inner Sea Primer: Although not specifically about the Shackles, this crash course on the continents of Avistan and Garund provides regional traits and background suggestions for PCs from over 40 nations, any of which make a great home for characters beginning the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Pirates of the Inner Sea: While this book focuses on pirates across the Inner Sea region, it also contains information on the Shackles and provides a host of new options for pirate PCs, including regional traits, new pirate archetypes, pirate weapons and gear, new spells, and the Inner Sea Pirate prestige class. Sargava, The Lost Colony: The nation of Sargava lies just south of the Shackles, and provides a variety of exotic options for pirates who might visit this land. To represent a ship’s deck or cabins in your game, simply use Flip-Mat: Pirate Ship and Map-Pack: Ship’s Cabins. These Pathfinder RPG resources and more are available at your local game store, and online at paizo.com.

Skull & Shackles Characters

Characters of almost any race or class can be found in the melting pot of the Shackles, so long as they have a reason to embrace a life of piracy. In fact, the only class that is probably not a good fit for the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path is the paladin, whose alignment restriction and code of conduct are in direct opposition to the themes of piracy and plunder in this campaign. Archetypes: A number of archetypes are especially suitable for use in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. The following archetypes from the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide are all good choices: aquatic druid (druid); rake, swashbuckler, thug (rogue); sea singer (bard); and water elementalist (wizard). The tempest druid archetype from Pathfinder Player Companion: Inner Sea Magic is also a good fit, while Pathfinder Player Companion: Pirates of the Inner Sea offers the buccaneer (bard), corsair (fighter), freebooter (ranger), and smuggler (rogue) archetypes. From Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat, the cad (fighter), daredevil (bard), pirate (rogue), and sea reaver (barbarian) archetypes all complement the themes of this Adventure Path, as do the sea witch (witch), shark shaman (druid), and storm druid (druid) archetypes from Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic.

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Bloodlines: The elemental (water) bloodline is a solid choice for a sorcerer in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, as is the aquatic bloodline or stormborn bloodline from the Advanced Player’s Guide. Domains: Clerics, druids, and inquisitors that have some connection to the sea make a perfect f it for the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Details on Besmara— goddess of piracy, strife, and sea monsters—can be found in Pathfinder Adventure Path #55. Good domain choices include Charm, Liberation, Luck, Travel, Trickery, Water, and Weather, and useful subdomains include Curse, Deception, Oceans, Revolution, Storms, and Thievery. In addition, druids might be interested in the aquatic terrain domain from Ultimate Magic. Favored Enemies and Terrains: Good favored enemy choices for rangers in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path include aberration, humanoid (giant), monstrous humanoid, and in particular, humanoid (human). For favored terrains, water would be the obvious choice.

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f irst adventure, and to gain Infamy throughout the campaign. Characters interested in using siege engines such as ballistae and catapults during ship-to-ship combat should strongly consider taking the Exotic Weapon Prof iciency feat to gain prof iciency with siege engines and putting ranks in Knowledge (engineering). Other skills that will be helpful are Climb, Craft (sails), Craft (ships), Craft (siege engine), Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (local), Profession (cook), Profession (siege engineer), and Swim. Feats such as Athletic and Skill Focus can be useful, as well as feats such as Expert Driver, Sea Legs, Siege Commander, Siege Engineer, Siege Gunner, Skilled Driver, and Sure Grasp (all from Ultimate Combat).

PEG LEGS & EYE PATCHES This optional rules system gives GMs a way to assign scars and major wounds to their PCs. Before implementing this system, consider these rules carefully. Major wounds can have major effects upon play, and some groups may not appreciate such debilitations, preferring the threat of death and an unscarred resurrection over a thematic crippling. These rules are a variation on the optional massive damage rule found on page 189 of the Core Rulebook. Whenever a character takes damage equivalent to massive damage, he must make a successful DC 15 Fortitude save or be reduced to –1 hit points and gain a permanent debilitating scar or handicap. These effects are randomly determined by rolling 1d20 on the table below. Effects are permanent and cumulative, though the GM should reroll results that seem too crippling or don’t make sense—such as a character losing a hand two or three times. The regenerate spell heals scars and restores lost limbs, removing both positive and negative effects. Rules for eye patches, peg legs, and prostheses to cover injuries and replace lost limbs may be found in Pirates of the Inner Sea.

Skull & Shackles Campaign Traits

Character traits are essentially half-feats that help customize a PC’s background and tie her to the themes and events of a particular adventure. Each character should begin play with two traits, one of which may be selected from the Skull & Shackles campaign traits below. For general traits, see the Advanced Player’s Guide or the Character Traits Web Enhancement, a free PDF download available at paizo.com/traits. Additionally, most Pathf inder Player Companion supplements contain racial, regional, and faith traits unique to Golarion and suitable for use by Skull & Shackles PCs. Campaign traits are tailored to a specif ic Adventure Path and give your character a built-in reason to begin the f irst adventure in a new campaign. Campaign traits assume a lot more about your character’s backstory than do normal traits, and they are meant to help serve as inspiration for a player working to create a detailed and interesting history for her character. You have a certain amount of leeway in adjusting a campaign trait’s expected backstory once you’ve selected the trait that’s right for you; just be sure to get your GM’s approval before you run with a modif ied history. All of the following traits revolve around characters that have a reason to be in Port Peril—the unruly capital of the Shackles—and the circumstances that brought them to the notorious dockside tavern known as the Formidably Maid, where they ran afoul of a press gang from the pirate ship Wormwood. You can take a look at these traits to get a general, spoiler-free idea of the types of foes and challenges your character might encounter over the course of the Adventure Path. Knowing that there are going to be elements of piracy, sailing ships, ancient cyclops ruins, and both jungle and underwater adventuring should help you build a character that f its more organically into the campaign you’re about to join. Ancient Explorer: You are a student of the ancient history of Golarion, and you’ve come to the Shackles

d20 1–5 6–8

Battle Scar or Amputation Minor scar—interesting but otherwise cosmetic Moderate scar—cut on face (+1 bonus on Charisma-based skill checks for first scar only, consider subsequent cuts as a major scar) 9–10 Major scar—severe cut on face (–1 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks**) 11–14 Loss of finger (for every 3 fingers lost, –1 Dex) 15–16 Impressive wound (–1 Con) 17 Loss of eye (–4 penalty on all sight-based Perception checks) 18 Loss of leg (speed reduced to half, cannot charge) 19 Loss of hand (cannot use two-handed items*) 20 Loss of arm (–1 Str, cannot use two-handed items*) * Losing a single hand or arm does not affect a spellcaster’s ability to cast spells with somatic components. ** At the GM’s discretion, characters with major scars may also be granted a +1 bonus on all Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate checks against other pirates, as the scars of battle are much admired by pirates.

Skills and Feats: Certain skills and feats will be particularly useful during the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. First and foremost is the Profession (sailor) skill. Some sort of social skill—either Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate—will also be important, especially in the

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to explore the crumbling and vine-choked ruins of the cyclops empire of Ghol-Gan, which have lain abandoned among the isles of the Shackles for thousands of years. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) checks, and one of these skills is a class skill for you. In addition, you gain Cyclops or Polyglot as a bonus language. You went to a tavern called the Formidably Maid in Port Peril last night to meet a contact who supposedly had an old map of lost cyclops ruins to sell, but the drink was stronger than you had expected and you passed out before making the deal. Barroom Talespinner: You grew up listening to tales of adventure and piracy on the high seas and the sea chanteys of old salts in dockside dives. You learned all about what it’s like to be a pirate by talking with the sailors on shore leave, and learned how to tell a tale (or perform some other pirate entertainment) yourself. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks and one category of Perform checks, and one of these skills is a class skill for you. In addition, once per week you can make a DC 15 Knowledge (local) or Intelligence check to see if you know a popular legendary pirate tale, the telling of which grants you a +1 trait bonus on checks made to inf luence NPCs on the Wormwood. You went to a tavern called the Formidably Maid in Port Peril to earn a few coins with your tales of the sea. The patrons seemed pleased with your performance and bought you a few drinks. You had just remembered a tale of an unfortunate sailor who found himself press-ganged on a pirate ship after his drink was drugged when suddenly everything went black. Besmara’s Blessing: You were born aboard a ship at sea or down by the docks in a port city on an auspicious day. Old salts and sea dogs nod knowingly and say that Besmara the Pirate Queen, goddess of piracy, sea monsters, and strife, has marked you for a greater destiny. You don’t know anything about that, but you’ve always felt more at home on the sea than on land, and your keen eyes can easily pick out a sail on the distant horizon. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception and Profession (sailor) checks. In addition, once per week you can reroll a Profession (sailor) check and take the higher result (you must announce that you are using this ability before the results of the check are known). You came to a tavern in Port Peril called the Formidably Maid in search of your fate. You’re not sure how many drinks you had, but they quickly went to your head and you passed out on the table before you found your destiny—unless it lay in the bottom of a bottle. Then again, maybe you found your destiny after all...

Buccaneer’s Blood: One of your ancestors was an infamous Free Captain of the Shackles, whose very name struck fear in the hearts of those who sailed the seas in search of an honest living. Piracy is in your blood, and you’ve always longed to follow in your forebear’s footsteps and plunder the shipping lanes. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate and Profession (sailor) checks. In addition, you gain a one-time +1 trait bonus to your Disrepute and Infamy scores (see “The Life of a Pirate” in Pathfinder Adventure Path #55 for details on the Infamy system). You went to a tavern called the Formidably Maid, a notorious pirate hangout in Port Peril, eager to start your career as a buccaneer. While you were there, however, a

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TABLE 1: NEW PIRATE WEAPONS Simple Weapons Cost Light Melee Weapons Hook hand 10 gp Two-Handed Melee Weapons Bayonet 5 gp Boarding pike 8 gp

Dmg (S) Dmg (M)

Martial Weapons Cost Light Melee Weapons Axe, boarding 6 gp Cat-o’-nine-tails 1 gp One-Handed Melee Weapons Cutlass 15 gp

Dmg (S) Dmg (M)

Exotic Weapons Cost Two-Handed Melee Weapons Harpoon 5 gp Ranged Weapons Grappling hook 6 gp

Dmg (S) Dmg (M)

Critical

Range

Weight

Type

Special

1d3

1d4

×2

—

1 lb.

S

Disarm

1d4 1d6

1d6 1d8

×2 ×3

— —

1 lb. 9 lbs.

P P

— Brace, reach

Critical

Range

Weight

Type

Special — Disarm, nonlethal

1d4 1d3

1d6 1d4

×3 ×2

— —

3 lbs. 1 lb.

P or S S

1d4

1d6

18–20/×2

—

4 lbs.

S

Critical

Range

Weight

Type

— Special

1d6

1d8

×3

10 ft.

16 lbs.

P

Grappling

1d4

1d6

×2

10 ft.

14 lbs.

P

Grappling

dashing and f lirtatious corsair caught your eye, and after a whirlwind night of booze and romance, you found yourself beaten senseless and stuffed in a sack, carried off to who knows where. Dockside Brawler: You grew up on the dangerous docks of one of the Shackles’ numerous ports or anchorages, and quickly learned that f ists often make a better point than fancy words, especially when used the right way. You’ve always preferred action to talk, anyway. You gain a +1 trait bonus on damage rolls with brass knuckles (Advanced Player’s Guide 176) and improvised weapons. While drinking at a tavern called the Formidably Maid in Port Peril last night, you got into a brawl with some of the other patrons. You handled yourself well, but a group of rough-looking characters ganged up on you and overwhelmed you, knocking you unconscious. Fortunately, you were able to conceal your brass knuckles when you were press-ganged, and you begin the campaign with them, regardless of your starting circumstances. Eye for Plunder: You’ve always had a keen eye for the glitter of gold or silver, and you’ve robbed enough rich merchants and raided enough ships to have a feel for where the most valuable plunder is hidden. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Appraise and Perception checks to find concealed or secret objects (including doors and traps). In addition, you begin the campaign with a selection mundane trade goods worth 50 gp that you were able to scrounge together during your first day on the Wormwood. You found yourself relatively well off when you got your share of your last voyage’s plunder, and decided to spend

a few of your hard-won coins at the Formidably Maid, a popular pirate tavern in Port Peril. Maybe the shine of your new wealth distracted you, however, because you never saw the miscreants who slipped something into your drink, knocking you out cold. Ilizmagorti Native: You grew up in the city of Ilizmagorti on Mediogalti Island, a pirate port infamous for both the scoundrels who visit it and the feared Red Mantis assassins who run it. You’ve been around pirates all your life, but you’ve learned to be wary in your dealings with people, as there’s no telling who might be a Red Mantis in disguise. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive checks, and Sense Motive is a class skill for you. In addition, your familiarity with the pirate’s life allows you to make untrained Knowledge (local) checks regarding pirates or the region of the Shackles. Looking to make your fortune, you hopped aboard a pirate ship in Ilizmagorti, and decided to celebrate your safe arrival in Port Peril with a few drinks at a tavern called the Formidably Maid. There were some suspiciouslooking characters there, to be sure, and you decided to give them a wide berth, but as you left, feeling a bit woozy from drink, you were set upon by thugs in a dark alley and knocked unconscious. Peg Leg: One of your legs was bitten off below the knee by a shark when you were just a child, and was replaced with a wooden peg leg (Pathfinder Player Companion: Pirates of the Inner Sea 20). You’ve long since gotten used to your prosthesis, however, and take none of the normal penalties from having a peg leg. You’ve had to learn to

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Boarding Pike

Harpoon

Boarding Axe

Cutlass Bayonet

Hook Hand

deal with the pain of your injury as well, and you gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves. Ever since your accident you’ve hated sharks, and you also gain a +1 trait bonus on damage rolls against sharks and other animals with the aquatic subtype. Your balance always gets a bit shaky after a few drinks, and last night at the Formidably Maid—a tavern in Port Peril—was no exception. That must be why you fell to the f loor as soon as you tried to stand up. What happened next is hazy, but you’re pretty sure you were dragged out of the bar and onto a ship at the docks. At least they didn’t throw you to the sharks... Ship’s Surgeon: On a ship, a sailor often has to learn multiple skills, and this rule certainly applies to you. Your father was a woodworker, and you learned your f irst trade from him. But on your f irst voyage at sea you quickly found out that a carpenter is often a ship’s doctor as well—after all, who knows more about sawing off limbs than someone who saws wood for a living? People are a lot bloodier than wood, that’s for sure, but you haven’t had many complaints—those sailors who have enjoyed your services are either happy to be alive or dead, and there’s old salts who swear the peg legs you for made them are better than the real legs they used to have. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Craft (carpentry) and Heal checks, and Heal is a class skill for you. You were between ships in Port Peril, and after stopping for a drink at a tavern called the Formidably Maid, you happened upon a damsel in distress in the alleyway outside. Thinking you could help, you didn’t

Grappling Hook

notice the thugs hiding nearby, and they caught you unawares. You’ve been on enough ships to know a press gang by the blow of the sap on the back of your neck—you just hope whatever ship you end up on needs a surgeon. Although the majority of your equipment was taken away when you were press-ganged, you managed to hang on to a fully stocked healer’s kit, and you begin the campaign with it, regardless of your starting circumstances. Touched by the Sea: You’ve always felt the call of the sea and your blood surges with the ebb and f low of the tides. Perhaps one of your parents was a sailor or pirate, or maybe one of your ancestors had a bit of aquatic elf or undine blood in them. Whatever the reason, you’re as comfortable in the water as you are on land. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Swim checks and Swim is a class skill for you. In addition, penalties on attack rolls made underwater are lessened by 1. You came to Port Peril in search of your destiny, and after a few drinks at a tavern called the Formidably Maid, you went down to the docks to take in a view of the sea. The last thing you remember is a blow to the back of your head and the waves rushing up to meet you.

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Pirate Weapons

Several new weapons with a pirate style or theme appear in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Full descriptions of these weapons and more pirate weapons and gear are presented in Pathfinder Player Companion: Pirates of the Inner Sea, but the weapon qualities are reprinted on Table 1 on page 6 for your convenience.

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Naval Combat

A

Mass Naval Combat

pirate ship can be as much of a character as the scoundrels crewing it, and once the PCs get their own ship, it will likely see as much action as do the PCs themselves. Whether the PCs are f ighting rival pirates in hand-to-hand combat on the deck of a sailing rig, attacking a merchantman with a hold full of riches to plunder with their own pirate ship, or sending an entire f leet of ships against an enemy armada, naval combat plays a signif icant role throughout the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Generally speaking, naval combat is handled in one of three ways: shipboard combat (normal combat on board a ship), ship-to-ship combat (combat between two or more individual ships), and mass naval combat (combat between two or more f leets of multiple ships). The rules for these three types of naval combat are detailed in the following section.

Rules for mass naval combat, that is, large-scale engagements between f leets containing multiple ships, will be fully detailed in Pathfinder Adventure Path #59: The Price of Infamy.

Shipboard Combat

Shipboard combat is just like any other combat between the PCs and their opponents, except the encounter takes place on board a ship, rather than in a dungeon or on a forest path. For the most part, shipboard combat can be resolved normally. The only constraints are the size of the ship (and therefore, the size of the battlefield), the danger of falling overboard into the water, and the effects of weather on the ship. If the combat happens during a storm or in rough seas, treat the ship’s deck as difficult terrain. Remember to take

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into account the effects on spellcasters’ concentration checks due to weather or the motion of the ship’s deck (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 206–207). If a combatant falls overboard, see the rules for aquatic terrain and water dangers on pages 432 and 445 of the Core Rulebook. In all other ways, shipboard combat functions no differently than combat on land. To represent the deck or cabins of a ship, you can use GameMastery Flip-Mat: Pirate Ship, GameMastery Flip-Mat: Ship, GameMastery Map Pack: Boats & Ships, or GameMastery Map Pack: Ship’s Cabins, available at paizo.com and gaming stores near you.

Most ships require a crew. A ship without a full crew complement, but with at least half its crew, takes a –10 penalty on all sailing checks. A ship needs at least half its crew complement in order to be piloted at all. If more than half of a ship’s crew is killed, dazed, stunned, or rendered unconscious, the ship can only take the “uncontrolled” action (see page 13). Crew members can take no action while the ship is in motion except to aid in that ship’s movement. Any crew required to operate siege engines (see page 18) are in addition to those crew needed to operate the ship.

Ship-to-Ship Combat

Size and Space

When ships themselves become a part of a battle, combat becomes unusual. The following rules are not meant to accurately simulate all of the complexities of ship-toship combat; rather, they represent an attempt to strike a balance between verisimilitude and ease and speed of play during combat, and can be applied to a vessel of any size, from a simple dinghy to a multi-deck man-o’war. These rules are a modif ied version of the vehicles rules found in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat, focusing only on piloting and f ighting with a ship on the water. Alternatively, if you’d prefer a quicker and easier way of resolving ship-to-ship combat, you can instead use the fast-play ship combat rules found on pages 214–215 of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide. It is important to note that while ships can be attacked in combat, it is diff icult to signif icantly damage such large vehicles. In addition, a captured ship is usually worth more as a prize to be towed or sailed home than sunk to the bottom of the sea. As a result, most shipto-ship combat ends when the crew of one ship boards another to f ight the enemy crew in hand-to-hand combat (see Boarding and Grappling on page 14).

Ships have sizes and spaces different from creature sizes and spaces. In order to play out ship-to-ship combat on a Flip-Mat or battle mat, a single square on the map corresponds to 30 feet of distance, rather than 5 feet. Most ships are long and thin; rather than taking up a space of an equal number of squares per side like creatures do, a ship’s width is always considered to be one square.

Facing and Movement Ships do not move like creatures, even when they use creatures for propulsion. They tend to move in the direction of their forward facing, and do so quickly. Facing: Unlike creatures, ships have a forward facing. Usually one of the shorter sides of a ship serves as the ship’s forward facing. Facing represents the effect of inertia on vehicles. Ships move best when moving in the direction of their forward facing, and it takes time and skill to move them in other directions. When piloted correctly, ships can move straight ahead, diagonally, or a mix of both within the same movement. Skilled pilots can make a ship zigzag in a forward direction with ease. Movement: Ships have a maximum speed and an acceleration listing. The maximum speed is the fastest rate the ship can travel per round (though a windpropelled ship sailing in the direction of the wind can double this speed). A ship cannot usually start at its maximum speed. Each round, the pilot can attempt to accelerate the ship or decelerate it by a rate equal to its acceleration (see the Movement section in Ships in Combat on page 12). The rate at which a ship is currently moving is called its current speed. Edge of the Map: When playing out ship-to-ship combat on a Flip-Mat or battle mat, the edge of the map forms an artif icial boundary—on the open sea, there is no edge of the map. As a result, if a ship moves off the edge of the map, you should extend the map with a new blank Flip-Mat or battle mat, or reposition the ships so they have room to maneuver.

Ship Basics

The following overview presents the basic rules for shipto-ship combat in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. All ships use these rules for movement and combat.

Pilots A ship requires two things to keep it moving—a pilot and a means of propulsion. A pilot is a creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher who is physically able to use the ship’s control device. A ship’s captain is often (but not always) the pilot. The pilot uses the control device and either her sailing skill (see the Sailing Check section on page 10) or her Wisdom to control the ship. Without a pilot, a ship will not move or will continue moving in a straight line, depending on the ship’s state when it becomes pilotless.

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Waterborne Movement: Travel over long distances across seas or oceans uses waterborne movement, measured in miles per hour or day. For muscle-propelled ships, a day represents 10 hours of rowing. For a windpropelled sailing ship, it represents 24 hours. Waterborne speeds for the most common ship types can be found on page 174 of the Core Rulebook or in the individual ship stat blocks beginning on page 23.

is destroyed, a ship cannot be piloted until the control device is repaired. Control Device AC Hit Points Hardness Oars* 12 10 per oar 5 Steering wheel 10 25 5 Tiller 10 25 5 Magically treated** — ×2 ×2 * Oars gain the broken condition if at least half the oars on a ship are destroyed. ** More information on magically treated control devices can be found in Ship Modifications on page 26.

Sailing Check To control a ship in combat, a pilot must make a sailing check to determine the maneuverability and speed of the ship that round. The ship’s propulsion determines what skill is used for the sailing check (see Propulsion and Sailing Skills on this page). If a ship is using two means of propulsion at the same time, such as wind and muscle, the pilot chooses which skill to use, and takes a –5 penalty on all sailing checks. A pilot can always make a Wisdom check in place of a sailing check. Outside of combat, the base DC for all sailing checks is DC 5. In combat, the base DC for all sailing checks is DC 20. A ship without a full crew complement, but with at least half its crew, takes a –10 penalty on all sailing checks. Aid Another: Just as with other skills, a character can spend a standard action to use the aid another action. This represents an extra pair of eyes observing the enemy, giving orders to the crew, or simply helpful advice. The helping character makes a sailing check as well. If the result is 10 or higher, the pilot gains a +2 bonus on her sailing check. Only one character can use the aid another action to help a pilot on a single sailing check. Controlling a Ship Outside of Combat: Since piloting a ship outside of combat is easily accomplished by taking 10 on the skill check, sailing checks are not normally needed. Almost every character can do it with relative ease; the DCs are given only to adjudicate special situations that may come up in your game. Controlling a Ship without the Proper Skill: If a pilot lacks the proper skill to control a ship, the pilot can always make a Wisdom ability check instead of the appropriate sailing check. A pilot can even take 10 (when outside of combat) or gain the benef its of the aid another action when using Wisdom instead of the ship’s normal sailing skill.

Propulsion and Sailing Skills Every vehicle has a means of propulsion. Boats and ships are propelled by currents, muscle, wind, or all three forces. The method of propulsion typically affects the speed and maneuverability of a ship, but more importantly, determines the required skill needed to control the ship. Controlling a ship takes common sense, awareness, intuition, and often some amount of skill in the ship’s means of propulsion. In the case of wind or current propulsion, it is about using the current and tools like sails, oars, or a rudder to move the ship. In the case of muscle propulsion, it is about guiding creatures to move the ship. The following are the general methods of ship propulsion, along with the skills typically needed to pilot ships propelled by the specif ied means. Current: All boats and ships can use water currents for propulsion, but ships that only rely on currents for propulsion are somewhat limited. These vehicles can only move in the direction and at the speed of a current unless they also employ some other means of propulsion or manipulation, and thus often have an additional form of propulsion, such as muscle in the case of a rowboat, or wind in the case of a sailing ship. A current-propelled ship requires a Profession (sailor) check for the sailing check. A current-propelled ship’s maximum speed depends on the speed of the current (often as high as 120 feet). The acceleration of a current-propelled ship is 30 feet. Muscle: Muscle-propelled ships use oars and rowers to push the ship forward. Sailing skills for muscle-propelled ships tend to be Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Handle Animal, depending on the intelligence and attitude of the creatures supplying the muscle for the propulsion. For intelligent creatures, use Diplomacy if the creatures providing the propulsion have an attitude of indifferent, friendly, or helpful (Core Rulebook 94). If the creatures providing the propulsion are friendly or helpful, Diplomacy sailing checks are made with a +5 bonus. An average crew is considered indifferent, though

Control Devices Every vehicle has a control device for steering. A control device is typically an object with object immunities and resistances and with its own statistics. The following are some of the typical control devices for ships, plus their usual Armor Class, hit points, and hardness. When a control device gains the broken condition, all sailing checks take a –10 penalty. When a control device

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a particularly loyal crew might be considered friendly. Intimidate is used for intelligent creatures with an attitude of unfriendly or hostile, such as captive rowers on a slave galley. Handle Animal is used if the creatures providing the propulsion are not intelligent. The maximum speed and acceleration of a musclepropelled ship depends on the number of creatures providing the propulsion, but most muscle-propelled ship have a maximum speed of 30 feet and an acceleration of 30 feet. Larger muscle-propelled ships with many rowers have a maximum speed of 60 feet and an acceleration of 30 feet. Oars: All muscle-propelled ships require the use of oars. Oars have their own statistics (see sidebar). Wind: Wind-propelled ships use sails to harness the power of the wind for propulsion. A wind-propelled ship requires a Profession (sailor) check for the sailing check. Small wind-propelled ships can move at a maximum speed of 30 feet. Larger ships that are also musclepropelled often have a maximum speed of 60 feet when using only wind propulsion. Large ships with multiple masts and many sails can have maximum speeds of up to 90 feet. The acceleration of a wind-propelled ship is 30 feet. All wind-propelled ships can move twice their normal maximum speed when moving in the direction of the wind. A ship using wind propulsion cannot move in the opposite direction from the wind. Sails and Rigging: All wind-propelled ships require the use of sails and rigging. To move at full speed, a ship requires 10 5-foot squares of sails per mast per square of the ship. For example, a 3-square ship with three masts requires 90 squares of sails. Sails have their own statistics (see sidebar). Mixed Means of Propulsion: Some ships use multiple forms of propulsion. Multiple methods of propulsion add f lexibility and can work in concert to create faster movement. If a ship has two means of propulsion, such as wind and muscle, it generally adds its two maximum speeds together to determine its maximum speed. Acceleration remains the same. Nothing is added for a third form of propulsion, except for the f lexibility of having a back-up form of propulsion. A ship with multiple methods of propulsion often requires a large crew to get it going and keep it moving.

MEANS OF PROPULSION The following are some of the various means of propulsion for ships, plus their base Armor Class, hit points, and hardness. To calculate the actual AC of a ship’s propulsion, add the current pilot’s sailing skill modifier (or Wisdom modifier, if she is using that ability to drive the ship) to the base AC. When a means of propulsion gains the broken condition, the ship’s maximum speed is halved, and the ship can no longer gain the upper hand (see page 12) until the propulsion is repaired or replaced. If the ship is in motion, and is traveling faster than its new maximum speed, it automatically decelerates to its new maximum speed. Oars: Oars are often weaker than the vessels they propel, and are difficult to replace. Destroying a ship’s oars is a good way to capture a vessel. Oars gain the broken condition if at least half the oars on a ship are destroyed. If all of a ship’s oars are destroyed, the ship can no longer use muscle propulsion and must rely on current and/or wind propulsion only. Sails and Rigging: Sails (including the rigging that controls them) are often weaker than the vessels they propel, though they are relatively easy to repair. Destroying a ship’s sails is a good way to capture a vessel. Sails take double the normal damage from acid and fire attacks (multiply the damage roll by 2). Sails gain the broken condition if at least half the squares of sails on a ship are destroyed. If all of a ship’s sails are destroyed, the ship can no longer use wind propulsion and must rely on current or muscle propulsion only.

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Propulsion Base AC Hit Points Hardness Oars 12 10 per oar 5 Sails 6 4 per 5-ft. square 0 Magically treated* — ×2 ×2 * More information on magically treated means of propulsion can be found in the Ship Modifications section on page 26.

ship can always catch a slower ship, but even slow ships can take advantage of favorable winds, currents, or coastal terrain to make good their escape. When two ships f irst encounter one another, the pilots of the two ships must make three opposed sailing checks. Whichever pilot wins at least two out of three of the opposed checks is victorious. If the pursuing ship wins, it catches up to the f leeing ship and ship-to-ship combat begins. If the f leeing ship wins, it escapes. If the result is a tie, the pilots should begin a new series of three opposed checks.

Evasion and Pursuit On the wide, open sea, one ship can spot another from miles away, making it virtually impossible to surprise another ship. If both ships want to engage in combat, the ships close with one another and begin ship-to-ship combat normally. If one ship wants to avoid combat, however, a chase ensues. At the GM’s discretion, a faster

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Such chases can take days, as one ship struggles to outmaneuver the other. At the GM’s discretion, roll 1d4 to determine the number of days a chase lasts. Withdrawing: Once in ship-to-ship combat, a ship can withdraw from combat by simply moving off the edge of the battle mat, ending ship-to-ship combat immediately. At the GM’s discretion, the ship has either escaped completely, or the two ships can go back to the evasion and pursuit rules above.

Wind: If any of the ships in the battle rely on sails and wind to move, randomly determine what direction the wind is blowing by rolling 1d4 and using the same guidelines for determining heading.

Initiative

The following are the rules for how ships act in the combat round.

When combat begins, the pilot of a ship should roll initiative as normal—the ship moves at the start of its pilot’s turn. If a ship has no pilot, it moves on the turn of the last creature that was its pilot, or on a turn determined by the GM. If they wish to take actions in combat, the PCs (and important NPCs involved in the combat) should roll initiative at this time as well.

Preparation

The Upper Hand

Once at least two ships are ready to engage in combat, use a large, blank battle mat to represent the waters on which the battle occurs. The reverse side of GameMastery FlipMat: Ship contains a blank water grid that is ideal for use with ship-to-ship combat. A single square corresponds to 30 feet of distance (see the Size and Space section on page 9). Determine which ship is the attacker and which is the defender. As pirates, the PCs will usually be the attacking ship, and their opponent will usually be the defending ship (though the tables might be turned in specif ic encounters). Represent each ship by using markers that take up the appropriate number of squares, or use the counters provided on page 29. To establish the position of the ships on the battle mat, roll 1d4 to determine the ships’ heading (the direction they are facing). Since both ships are coming out of a chase, they are both assumed to have the same heading. A roll of 1 is north, 2 is east, 3 is south, and 4 is west. Place the defending ship as close to the center of the map as possible on the correct heading. Next, roll 1d8 to determine the bearing of the attacking ship (its position relative to the other ship). Follow the guidelines for missed splash weapons (Core Rulebook 202), with a roll of 1 indicating north, and counting squares clockwise for a roll of 2 through 8 to determine the bearing. In some cases, this will put the attacking ship ahead of the defending ship—this simply means the attacking ship overshot its quarry as the chase came to a close. Finally, roll 1d4+2 to determine the number of squares on the battle mat between the two ships. Place the attacking ship on the map at the appropriate bearing and distance from the opposing ship. Unless otherwise detailed in an encounter, assume that each ship begins combat with a speed of 30 feet. Any siege engines (see page 18) carried on a ship are likewise assumed to be loaded at the beginning of combat.

At the beginning of every round, each pilot makes an opposed sailing check to determine who has the upper hand that round. This represents the vagaries of luck, skill, and the environment, whether catching a favorable gust of wind, taking advantage of a fast current, sliding down the back of a large wave, or disrupting an opposing ship’s wind with your own ship’s “dirty air.” The pilot who succeeds at the check gains the upper hand, and can immediately reposition her ship by one square in any direction as a free action. For every 5 by which the successful pilot’s check exceeds the opposing pilot’s check, the pilot with the upper hand can reposition her ship by an additional square. On a tie, neither pilot gains the upper hand. Alternatively, the pilot who wins the upper hand can change the heading of her ship by 90 degrees. For every 5 by which the successful pilot’s check exceeds the opposing pilot’s check, the pilot with the upper hand can change the heading of her ship by an additional 90 degrees. A ship that is upwind of another ship (closer to the direction of the wind) is said to “hold the weather gage,” and gains a +2 bonus on the opposed check to gain the upper hand.

Ships in Combat

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Movement At the start of a pilot’s turn, she can take any of the following sailing actions (except the “uncontrolled” action) by making a sailing check to control the ship. The pilot must take whatever action is required before doing anything else that turn. Just as in normal combat, a pilot can perform a standard action and a move action each round. Once the pilot has selected an action, or takes some other action forcing the ship to become uncontrolled, the ship moves. If a ship has less than half its crew or has no pilot, or if the pilot takes no action, takes some other action instead of piloting the ship, or delays or readies an action, the ship takes the “uncontrolled” action.

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Full Ahead (standard action): With a successful sailing check, the ship’s current speed increases by its acceleration (usually 30 feet), but no higher than its maximum speed. The ship can move forward or forward diagonally. In other words, each time a ship enters a new 30-foot square, it can choose any of its forwardfacing squares—the one directly in front or either of the squares directly forward and diagonal. This allows the ship to swerve. A pilot who fails her sailing check does not accelerate and can only move into a square directly in front of the ship’s forward facing. Hard to Port or Hard to Starboard (standard action): The pilot can turn the ship while it moves forward at its current speed. With a successful sailing check, the pilot can change the ship’s forward facing either left (port) or right (starboard) by 90 degrees at any point during the ship’s movement. Do this by pivoting the ship so that the rear square of the ship takes the place of the ship’s former forward facing square. If a ship’s current speed is twice its acceleration, the pilot takes a –5 penalty on the sailing check. If a ship’s current speed is three times its acceleration, the pilot takes a –10 penalty on the sailing check. If its current speed is four or more times its acceleration, the pilot takes a –20 penalty. On a failed check, the ship does not turn, but can be moved forward diagonally during its movement. Note: A wind-propelled ship that turns into the wind (its forward facing is pointed in the opposite direction from the wind) is said to be “in irons” and takes the uncontrolled action until its pilot turns it to face another direction. Heave To (standard action): With a successful sailing check, the ship’s current speed decreases by 30 feet. On a failed check, the ship does not decelerate. Either way, the ship can move forward on its current facing and can move forward diagonally. If deceleration reduces a ship’s speed to 0, some amount of inertia will continue to move the ship forward. The ship moves forward (either directly forward or forward diagonally) 1d4×30 feet before coming to a complete stop. Having the Expert Driver feat (Ultimate Combat 100) reduces this distance by 30 feet (minimum 0 feet). Make Way (standard action): With a successful sailing check, a pilot can make a tricky or diff icult maneuver that forces an enemy pilot to react. The result of this sailing check then becomes the DC of the enemy pilot’s next sailing check. On a failed check, the ship’s speed remains constant, but the ship cannot move forward diagonally, and the enemy pilot makes his next sailing check at the normal DC. Stay the Course (move action): With a successful sailing check, the pilot can move the ship forward on its current facing at its current speed, and it can move directly forward or forward diagonally. Failing the check keeps

the speed constant, but the ship can only move directly forward, not forward diagonally. Full Astern (full-round action): With a successful sailing check, the pilot can move the ship backward at a speed of 30 feet, moving either directly backward (the reverse of its forward facing) or backward diagonally. On a failed check, it does not move backward. A ship may only be moved in reverse if its current speed is 0. Uncontrolled (no action): When the pilot does nothing, if there is no pilot, or if the ship has less than half its crew, the ship is uncontrolled. An uncontrolled ship does nothing except take the uncontrolled action until it stops or someone becomes its new pilot. An uncontrolled ship moves forward only (it cannot move forward diagonally) and automatically decelerates by 30 feet. Even if a ship does nothing, it can still perform ramming maneuvers (see Ramming, below).

Attacks Ships typically don’t have attacks and do not threaten any area around them, though some ships can be f itted with rams (see page 28). Some ships also carry siege engines (see page 18). Provided that the ship has enough additional crew to operate them, these siege engines can 703828

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make attacks. While individuals aboard a ship generally don’t play a signif icant role in ship-to-ship combat, important characters such as PCs might still become involved if they wish to f ire siege engines or if an enemy ship is in range of their ranged attacks or spells. When attacking a ship, you can attack the ship’s structure, occupants, propulsion, or control device. You can also attempt to grapple and board a ship. In addition, a ship can make a ramming maneuver or shearing maneuver as part of its movement. Attacking the Structure: This is an attack against the ship itself. If the attack is successful, the ship takes damage normally. Attacking an Occupant: This is a normal attack against a ship’s occupant—any creature that is a passenger, pilot, crew, or providing propulsion on a ship. Occupants get partial cover (+2 to AC and +1 on Ref lex saving throws) or greater against attacks coming from outside of the ship. Occupants in a forecastle or sterncastle have cover (+4 to AC and +2 on Ref lex saving throws), while those inside a port or hatch have improved cover (+8 to AC and +4 on Ref lex saving throws). In general, once combat begins among the occupants of two ships (such as when boarding), ship-toship combat should be replaced with shipboard combat. Attacking Propulsion: A ship’s means of propulsion usually has its own set of statistics (see sidebar on page 11), while creatures propelling a ship use their own statistics. See Attacking an Occupant above if crew members providing propulsion are attacked. Individual ship stat blocks detail their means of propulsion. Attacking the Control Device: A ship’s control device is an object with its own statistics (see Control Devices on page 10). When a control device is destroyed, the ship can no longer be piloted. Attacking a Siege Engine: Siege engines mounted on a ship have their own statistics (see page 18). Siege engines benef it from cover as occupants on a ship. Broadsides: Some ships can carry a large number of siege engines. Rather than bog down ship-to-ship combat with numerous individual attack rolls, siege engines can be f ired in “broadsides.” All siege engines of the same type on a single side of the ship can fire at once. Broadside attacks can only be used to attack the structure of a ship or propulsion. Make a single attack roll for all of the siege engines in the broadside. If the attack roll is successful, all of the weapons hit their target. If the attack roll fails, all of the weapons miss. On a successful attack roll, take the average damage of a single weapon and multiply it by the number of weapons in the broadside to determine the total damage dealt. For example, a sailing ship with a bank of 10 light ballistae on its port side f ires a broadside attack. A single light ballista deals 3d8 points of damage, for an average

of 13.5 points of damage. If the attack hits, the broadside deals 13.5 × 10, or 135 points of damage.

Grappling and Boarding When the crew of one ship wishes to board an enemy ship and attack its crew, they must f irst grapple the other ship. To grapple, the two ships must be within 30 feet of one another (in other words, they must be in adjacent squares on the battle mat). If both pilots want to grapple, grappling is automatically successful. The two crews throw out grappling lines and draw the ships together. If both ships are reduced to a speed of 0 as the result of a ramming maneuver, they are also considered grappled. If only one pilot wants to grapple, she must make a combat maneuver check against the target ship’s CMD, using the base CMB of the ship plus the pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or Wisdom skill modif ier if she is using that ability to control the ship) as the total CMB of the grappling maneuver. If the check is successful, the target ship is grappled. On the next round, the two ships are moved adjacent to one another, and the speed of both ships is reduced to 0. If a ship has less than its full crew complement, the pilot takes a –10 penalty on her combat maneuver check to make a grappling maneuver. Breaking a Grapple: The pilot of a grappled ship can attempt to break the grapple by making a combat maneuver check against the opposing ship’s CMD, but at a –4 penalty. If the check is successful, the crew has cut the grappling lines and the freed ship may now move as normal. Boarding: Once two ships are grappled, a crew can board the other ship. The pilot with the highest initiative can choose whether to board the opposing ship with her crew f irst or wait for the opposing crew to board her ship. Characters boarding an opposing ship are considered f lat-footed for the f irst round of shipboard combat, due to the diff iculty of climbing over the ships’ rails and f inding footing on the enemy deck. Characters using a corvus (see page 21) to board another ship are not considered f lat-footed.

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Ramming To ram a target, a ship must move at least 30 feet and end with its forward square in a square adjacent to the target. The ship’s pilot must make a ramming combat maneuver check against the target’s CMD, using the base CMB of the ship plus the pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or Wisdom skill modif ier if she is using that ability to control the ship) as the total CMB of the ramming maneuver. If the check is successful, the ship hits its target, dealing its ramming damage to the target. The ramming ship takes half that damage. A ship’s base ramming damage is listed in its stat block (see page 22). If the pilot’s combat maneuver check exceeds the target’s CMD by 5 or more,

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the target takes twice the ship’s ramming damage. If the combat maneuver check exceeds the target’s CMD by 10 or more, the target takes twice the ship’s ramming damage and the target’s speed is immediately reduced to 0. Regardless of the result of the combat maneuver check, the ramming ship’s speed is reduced to 0. If a ship collides with another ship or a solid object (an immobile structure with a hardness of 5 or more), it also makes a ramming maneuver, regardless of the pilot’s intent. There is no combat maneuver check for this ramming maneuver; its effects happen automatically. When a ship makes a ramming maneuver against a solid object, to determine how much damage both the solid object and the ship take, allow the ship to enter the solid object’s space. The ship will only travel through that space if the damage is enough to destroy the solid object; in all other cases, the ship takes the damage and its speed is immediately reduced to 0 as it comes to a sudden stop directly in front of the solid object. A ship can be outfitted with a ram on its forward facing. A ship equipped with a ram deals an additional 2d8 points of damage with a ramming maneuver, and ignores the damage for the f irst square of a solid object it enters, and all damage from ramming creatures or other objects (such as other ships). A ram can be added to a Large ship for 50 gp, a Huge ship for 100 gp, a Gargantuan ship for 300 gp, and a Colossal ship for 1,000 gp. If a ship has less than its full crew complement, but has at least half its crew, the pilot takes a –10 penalty on her combat maneuver check to make a ramming maneuver. A ship without at least half its crew complement cannot make a ramming maneuver.

COMBAT AFTER BOARDING Ship-to-ship combat in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path assumes that the PCs are more interested in capturing enemy ships than in sinking them. After all, if you sink a ship, you can’t plunder its cargo, ransom its crew and passengers, and sell (or use) the ship yourself. So once a ship has been boarded, ship-to-ship combat ends and shipboard combat begins on whichever ship was boarded first. Shipboard combat is normally a battle between the “primaries” of the two ships—usually meaning that the PCs fight the enemy ship’s captain and any other major NPCs on the enemy ship in normal combat. Meanwhile, the two ships’ crews are assumed to be fighting each other in the background. Whoever wins the “primary” combat (either the PCs or the enemy NPCs) wins the entire battle. In other words, a ship’s crew is victorious over an enemy crew if their captain defeats the enemy captain. While a ship’s crew will likely take losses in a battle, it is assumed that enough members of the defeated crew join the victorious crew to replenish any losses. This keeps the PCs from having to play out combat between large numbers of low-level opponents, and from needing to track exactly how many casualties their crew takes in each battle. The PCs earn normal XP for the foes they defeat in shipboard combat. In most circumstances, the ship-toship battle just serves as a prelude to the main combat. If, however, the PCs decided to fight out an entire shipto-ship battle and they sink or destroy a ship without ever fighting the ship’s captain and NPCs, then they earn XP based on the captain’s CR (as the captain is the only one piloting the enemy ship in ship-to-ship combat).

Shearing A ship may attempt to shear off the oars of an opposing ship, if the target ship uses oars for muscle propulsion. To attempt a shearing maneuver, a ship must be adjacent to the target’s forward or rear square and move along the side of the target for a number of adjacent squares equal to the target ship’s number of squares. The ship’s pilot must make a shearing combat maneuver check against the target’s CMD, using the base CMB of the ship plus the pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or Wisdom skill modif ier if she is using that ability to control the ship) as the total CMB of the shearing maneuver. If the check is successful, the ship shears the target’s oars. The target’s oars take damage that reduces their hit points to half their maximum hit point total and gain the broken condition, thus reducing the ship’s maximum speed by half and preventing its pilot from gaining the upper hand. If the target ship is in motion, and is traveling faster than its new maximum speed, it automatically decelerates to its new maximum speed. A ship that does

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not use oars for muscle propulsion is unaffected by a shearing maneuver. If a ship has less than its full crew complement, but has at least half its crew, the pilot takes a –10 penalty on her combat maneuver check to make a shearing maneuver. A ship without at least half its crew complement cannot make a shearing maneuver.

Taking Control of a Ship If a ship has no pilot, another creature can take control of the ship as long as the creature is adjacent to the ship’s control device and makes a sailing check as a free action. The ship’s pilot can always give over control to another adjacent creature as a free action. If a creature wants to take control of a ship from another forcefully, it must kill the pilot or otherwise remove the pilot from the control

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device. When a new creature becomes the pilot, the ship moves on the new pilot’s turn, but not on the new pilot’s f irst turn after taking control of the ship.

needed for repairs. New oars can be purchased for 2 gp each (Core Rulebook 159).

Damaging a Ship Ships have hit points and hardness based on their primary components. Most ships are made of wood (15 hit points per 5-foot-square, hardness 5). When a ship is reduced to below half its hit points, it gains the broken condition. When it reaches 0 hit points, it gains the sinking condition. Broken Condition: Ships—and sometimes their means of propulsion—are objects, and like any other object, when they take damage in excess of half their hit points, they gain the broken condition. When a ship gains the broken condition, it takes a –2 penalty to AC, on sailing checks, saving throws, and on combat maneuver checks. If a ship or its means of propulsion becomes broken, the ship’s maximum speed is halved and the ship can no longer gain the upper hand until repaired. If the ship is in motion and traveling faster than its new maximum speed, it automatically decelerates to its new maximum speed. Sinking Condition: A ship that is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points gains the sinking condition. A sinking ship cannot move or attack, and it sinks completely 10 rounds after it gains the sinking condition. Each additional hit on a sinking ship that deals more than 25 points of damage reduces the remaining time for it to sink by 1 round. A ship that sinks completely drops to the bottom of the body of water and is considered destroyed. A destroyed ship cannot be repaired—it is so significantly damaged it cannot even be used for scrap material. Magic (such as make whole) can repair a sinking ship if the ship’s hit points are raised above 0, at which point the ship loses the sinking condition. Generally, nonmagical repairs take too long to save a ship from sinking once it begins to go down.

Fire is an ever-present danger on every wooden ship, but while most ships are not in danger of going up in f lames from a dropped torch or lantern, alchemical or magical f ires can be much more dangerous. Note that many instantaneous f ire spells do not automatically catch a ship on f ire, but those that deal f ire damage over multiple rounds have a better chance of causing a f ire on board a ship (see Magic below). When a ship takes f ire damage (such as from alchemist’s f ire, f laming arrows, certain spells, and other effects at the GM’s discretion), it must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or catch f ire. Unless an attack specif ically targets a ship’s means of propulsion (such as sails), it is assumed that such attacks affect the structure of a ship itself. Once a ship has caught f ire, it automatically takes 2d6 points of f ire damage per round (ignoring hardness) as the f ire spreads. The ship’s crew can attempt to extinguish the f lames as a full-round action for the entire crew, allowing the ship to make a Ref lex save (DC 15 + the number of rounds the ship has been on f ire). A successful saving throw means the f ire has been put out. A failed saving throw results in the ship taking the normal 2d6 points of f ire damage for the round. A ship must take the “uncontrolled” action each round that its crew attempts to put out a f ire, as they are not sailing the ship at this time. Those who would like more detailed rules for f ires, spreading f lames, and f ighting f ires can use the system presented in the “Catastrophe!” article in Pathfinder Adventure Path #30: The Twice-Damned Prince.

Repairing a Ship

Magic

Fire

The fastest and easiest way to repair a ship is with spells. Mending is not powerful enough to meaningfully affect an object as large as a ship, but make whole affects a ship as if it were a construct, repairing 1d6 points of damage per level. In addition, more mundane methods can also be used to repair ships. Because of their specialized construction, ships (as well as oars and sails) usually require the Craft (ships) skill to repair. Depending on the nature of the damage, skills such as Craft (carpentry) or Craft (sails), or even various Profession skills, can be used to repair ships with the GM’s approval. In general, a day’s worth of work by a single person using the appropriate skill to repair a ship requires 10 gp of raw materials and a DC 10 skill check, and repairs 10 points of damage on a success, or 5 hit points on a failure. Fabricate can also be used to create the raw material

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Creatures can attack ships with spells. Ships are objects, so spells that can only target creatures have no effect on ships. However, because a ship is actively crewed and piloted, it can make saving throws against spell effects. Ships are immune to most spells that require a Will save. A ship without a crew is considered an unattended object and cannot make saving throws. The effects of most spells on ships can be determined normally. However, certain spells have different effects in naval combat. The effects of these spells are detailed on the following page. GMs can use these examples as guidelines for determining how other spells not listed here affect ships. For the most part, these effects only apply during ship-to-ship combat, not during normal combat aboard a ship, though some affects (such as starting f ires), could still apply, at the GM’s discretion.

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Acid Fog, Solid Fog: The effects created by these spells do not move with a ship, but they do reduce the speed of a ship moving through them to half. Align Weapon, Keen Edge, Magic Weapon, Greater Magic Weapon: These spells also affect siege engines and siege engine ammunition. Animate Objects: A ship under the control of a pilot cannot be animated with this spell without the pilot’s consent. An animated ship moves as the caster directs. It needs no crew other than the caster, who is considered the ship’s pilot. An animated ship’s statistics, such as its hit points, do not change. Black Tentacles: This spell can be cast on the surface of the water or on a ship’s deck. The tentacles do not attack ships. Blade Barrier, Cloudkill, Fog Cloud, Mind Fog, Obscuring Mist, Pyrotechnics, Stinking Cloud, Storm of Vengeance: The effects created by these spells do not move with a ship. Call Lightning, Call Lightning Storm, Chain Lightning, Lightning Bolt, Scorching Ray, Storm of Vengeance: These spells do not start f ires on a ship. Control Water: A ship cannot leave the area affected by this spell and must take the “uncontrolled” action for the duration of the spell. Control Winds: The area of winds created by this spell does not move with a ship. Delayed Blast Fireball, Fireball, Fire Seeds, Flame Arrow, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Meteor Swarm, Produce Flame: These spells can start f ires on a ship. Dimension Door, Greater Teleport, Teleport, Teleportation Circle: Because ships are constantly in motion, the caster of spells of the teleportation subschool must have line of sight to teleport onto a ship. Otherwise, a caster must scry upon a particular ship first, then immediately teleport to the scryed destination. Any delay in casting means the ship has moved from its scryed location and the spell fails. Disintegrate: This spell deals 2d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 40d6) to a ship. Earthquake: This spell has no effect in the deep waters of the ocean. Fabricate: The materials created by this spell can be used to repair a ship (see page 16). Fire Storm, Flame Strike: These spells do not start f ires on a ship unless the ship rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw against f ire damage. Forcecage, Resilient Sphere, Wall of Force: The effects of these spells move with a ship if they are anchored to it. Otherwise, they do not move with a ship, and a ship running into them makes a ramming maneuver (see page 14). Freezing Sphere: This spell can be used to attempt to trap a ship in ice by targeting the water around the ship rather than the ship itself. The ship’s speed is reduced to 0 for the duration of the spell unless the pilot of the ship makes a DC 25 sailing check to break free of the ice.

Gaseous Form: A creature in gaseous form does not move with a ship. Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Tiny Hut, Wall of Ice, Wall of Thorns: The effects created by these spells move with a ship. Guards and Wards, Mage’s Private Sanctum, Screen: These spells can be cast on a ship. Make Whole: This spell affects a ship as if it were a construct. Mage’s Magnificent Mansion, Rope Trick: The entrances to the extradimensional spaces created by these spells do not move with a ship. Mirage Arcana: Ships are considered structures for the purposes of this spell. Ice Storm, Sleet Storm: The sleet, snow, and ice created by these spells do not move with a ship, but the deck is considered icy. These spells also allow a ship to make an additional saving throw to extinguish f ires. Incendiary Cloud: The cloud created by this spell does not move with a ship, but the caster can concentrate to move the cloud along with a ship. This spell can start f ires on a ship. Passwall: A ship can make a Fortitude save to negate the effects of this spell. A ship affected by this spell gains the broken condition and the sinking condition, but the ship is restored to its normal condition when the spell ends (though a sunken ship remains sunk). Polymorph Any Object: A ship is a collection of numerous objects. As a result, any ship of Huge size or larger is too big to be affected by this spell. Prismatic Sphere, Prismatic Spray, Prismatic Wall: These spells do not start f ires on a ship unless the ship passes through the spell effect and rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw against f ire damage. A prismatic sphere or prismatic wall moves with a ship if it is anchored to the ship. Otherwise, it does not move with a ship. Repel Wood: If you are standing on a ship, that ship is considered a f ixed object in relation to you and is not affected by this spell. Loose objects on your ship, or on other ships within range, are affected normally. A ship under the control of a pilot can make a Will save to negate the effects of this spell. Reverse Gravity: A ship must f it entirely within the spell’s area to be affected by this spell, though creatures and objects on a ship’s deck are affected normally. If an entire ship is affected and falls back down more than 50 feet, the pilot must succeed at a DC 20 sailing check when the ship lands or it gains the sinking condition. Sunbeam, Sunburst: These spells deal only half damage to ships. Sympathetic Vibration: A ship is considered a freestanding structure for the purposes of this spell. Wall of Fire: A wall of fire cast on the deck of a ship moves with the ship and can start on-board f ires. Otherwise,

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the wall does not move with the ship, and does not start on-board f ires. Warp Wood: A warped ship springs a leak and gains the broken condition. If the ship is reduced to below half its hit points while warped, it gains the sinking condition. Whirlwind: Most ships are too large to be affected by this spell, but loose objects and creatures on the ship’s deck may still be affected. Wind Wall: The effects of this spell move with a ship if it is anchored to the ship.

Crew: The sheer size of a siege engine often necessitates a crew for its use. One person of that crew is the crew leader. Usually the crew leader controls the movement of a siege engine or designates its targets; sometimes the crew leader does both. Often the crew leader is required to take actions and make specif ic checks in order for a siege engine to function. The rest of the crew members are required to spend actions and make checks in order for a siege engine to function. The crew of a siege engine is in addition to the crew needed to operate the ship. Constructing Siege Engines: A siege engine is a complex device requiring a DC 20 Craft (siege engine) skill check to build. Magical and Masterwork Siege Engines: Siege engines can be masterwork, increasing their Craft DC by 5 and cost by 300 gp. A masterwork siege engine can be enchanted at twice the cost for a normal magical weapon. The enhancement bonus of a siege engine applies on attack rolls and targeting checks (in the case of indirectf ire siege engines). Disabling Siege Engines: A siege engine is considered a diff icult device to disable, requiring 2d4 rounds of effort and a DC 20 Disable Device check to do so. When a siege engine is disabled, it either doesn’t work or is sabotaged and stops working after 1d4 minutes of use. Repairing Siege Engines: Repairing a broken or disabled siege engine requires a DC 20 Craft (siege engine), Disable Device, or Knowledge (engineering) check. It takes 10 minutes to f ix the device, and the check can be retried if the f ix fails. Defense and Hit Points: All siege engines are objects, typically crafted out of wood. A siege engine has a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty) and a further penalty based on its size. Each type of siege engine has its own hardness and hit points. Siege engines can be armored—treat the siege engine as a creature of its size to determine the cost of the armor. Masterwork siege engine armor can be enchanted for twice the normal cost to enchant armor. Armored siege engines gain an armor bonus to AC equal to that normally granted by the specif ic armor (shields have no effect on a siege engine), a hardness and hit points equal to that of the armor, and bonus hit points equal to the armor bonus ×5. Assembling Siege Engines: Siege engines can be broken down for storage or transport and can be reassembled on a ship’s deck. A Large siege engine requires 1 hour and four workers to assemble. A Huge siege engine requires 2 hours and six workers to assemble. Each assembly worker must make a DC 10 Craft (siege engine) check; if untrained, the worker may not take 10. Assembly can be performed with at least half the required number of workers by doubling the

Siege Engines

Siege engines assault structures and people from a distance by propelling ammunition in some fashion. The following rules are a modif ied version of the siege engine rules found in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat, and focus only on those siege engines that can be carried and used on board ships.

Siege Engine Basics

All siege engines in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path use the following basic rules, unless stated otherwise in an individual siege engine description. Proficiency: Siege engines are exotic weapons. The Exotic Weapon Prof iciency feat allows a character to f ire a single type of siege engine without penalty. A creature with the Siege Engineer feat (Ultimate Combat 118) is prof icient with all siege engines. Feats: Several feats presented in Ultimate Combat can be used with siege engines. These include the following: Master Siege Engineer, Siege Commander, Siege Engineer, and Siege Gunner.

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time required. If fewer than half are available, the siege engine cannot be assembled.

penalty on attack rolls, and a crew of f ive would negate the penalty altogether. Indirect-Fire Siege Engines: Indirect-f ire weapons launch projectiles in high arcs toward their targets. They typically lob heavier missiles and payloads than direct-fire weapons, but they are harder to aim accurately. Indirectf ire weapons can bypass many forms of fortif ication, delivering their payloads of solid shot, scatter shot, or even disease-ridden offal to targets on other ships. Indirect-fire weapons use a targeting mechanic similar to that described for catapults in the Core Rulebook, hereafter referred to as an indirect attack. The following is an update to those rules. Indirect Attack: To f ire an indirect-f ire siege engine, the crew leader makes a targeting check against the DC of the siege engine. This check uses his base attack bonus, his Knowledge (engineering) skill modif ier if trained in that skill (or his Intelligence modif ier, if not trained), any nonprof iciency penalty, and the appropriate modif iers from Table 2. If the check succeeds, the ammunition of the indirect attack hits the square the siege engine was aimed at, dealing the indicated damage or effect to any object or creature within the area of its attack. Creatures may get a saving throw to limit the effect of the attack; this is typically based on the type of ammunition used. If the attack misses the intended square, roll 1d8 to determine in what direction the shot veers. A roll of 1 indicates the ammunition falls short (toward the siege engine), with rolls of 2 through 8 counting squares clockwise around the target square. Roll 1d4 for every range increment at which the attack was made (1d4 if the target square is within the engine’s first range increment, 2d4 if the target square is within the second range increment, and so on). The total is the number of squares by which the attack misses. The ammunition deals its damage and any other effects in the square it lands on.

Firing Siege Engines

Siege engines hurl massive projectiles in one of two ways: direct f ire or indirect f ire. Both take a number of actions to load or aim, and the basic rules are described below. Load Ammunition: In order for a siege engine to f ire, it must be loaded with ammunition. Loading ammunition takes a number of full-round actions depending on the siege engine (this time can be reduced to move actions if the crew leader has the Master Siege Engineer feat [Ultimate Combat 109]). For example, a light ballista loaded by two creatures takes 1 round to load the siege weapon, since the creatures each take one of the two necessary full-round actions to do so. Aiming a Siege Engine: Siege engines must be aimed in order to attack a desired target (in the case of direct-f ire siege engines) or square (in the case of indirect-f ire siege engines). Aiming takes a number of full-round actions depending on the siege engine. Aiming a siege engine with a diminished crew doubles the amount of time it takes to aim the siege engine. Each time a new target or square is chosen as the target of a siege engine’s attack, that siege engine must be aimed anew. For example, a light catapult aimed by two creatures would have to spend a turn aiming the catapult in order to fire it on the next round, since a light catapult takes two full-round actions to aim. If the same light catapult were instead crewed by three creatures, two could spend full-round actions aiming it and the remaining creature could f ire it with a standard action. Direct-Fire Siege Engines: Direct-f ire weapons launch their projectiles on a relatively f lat trajectory, allowing them to more easily target creatures or pummel barriers directly in front of them. A direct-f ire weapon uses a normal ranged attack roll, with the normal penalty for nonprof icient use if none of the crew operating it have prof iciency in siege engines. In addition, a direct-f ire weapon takes a penalty on attack rolls of –2 per size category that the weapon is larger than the creature aiming it. Creatures with ranks in Knowledge (engineering) are not adversely affected by their size when f iring direct-f ire siege engines. Sheer manpower can also reduce the penalties for size. Increasing the crew of these weapons by 1 or more can reduce the attack roll penalty for creature size: as long as an extra crew member is no more than three size categories smaller than the direct-f ire weapon, it can reduce the penalty due to the aiming creature’s size by 2. For example, a Huge ballista fired by a Medium creature that is part of a crew of four (one more than the minimum number of crew members required) takes only a –2

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TABLE 2: INDIRECT ATTACK CHECK MODIFIERS Condition Modifier No line of sight to target square –6 Successive shots +2* (crew can see where most recent miss landed) * Cumulative +2 per previous miss (maximum +10) Successive shots +1* (crew can’t see where most recent missed shot landed, but observer is providing feedback) * Cumulative +1 per previous miss (maximum +5) Successive shots after a hit +10 Critical Hits: When a direct-f ire siege engine scores a critical hit, it conf irms the critical and deals critical hit damage just like any other weapon. If an indirect-f ire

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TABLE 3: SIEGE ENGINES Siege Engines Large Direct-Fire Siege Engines Ballista, light Large Indirect-Fire Siege Engines Catapult, light Huge Direct-Fire Siege Engines Ballista, heavy Firedrake Huge Indirect-Fire Siege Engines Catapult, standard Springal, arrow Other Corvus

Cost

Dmg

Critical

Range

Type

Crew

Aim

Load

500 gp

3d8

19–20/×2

120 ft.

P

1

0

2

550 gp

4d6

×2

150 ft. (50 ft. min.)

B

2

2

3

800 gp 4,000 gp

4d8 6d6

19–20/×2 —

180 ft. —

P fire

3 3

2 2

3 5

800 gp 1,000 gp

6d6 3d8

×2 ×3

200 ft. (100 ft. min.) 100 ft. (50 ft. min.)

B P

3 3

2 2

3 3

100 gp

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

siege engine rolls a natural 20 on its targeting check, it can also score a critical hit. The crew leader must reroll the targeting check to conf irm the critical. If the conf irmation targeting check is successful, the attack is a critical hit, and the siege engine multiplies its damage by its critical multiplier. Unlike normal attacks, siege engine attacks can deal critical hit damage to objects. Siege engines do not gain the benef it of critical feats the crew or the crew leader may have. Mishaps and Misfires: Rolling a natural 1 on an attack roll with a direct-f ire siege engine or a targeting check made by an indirect-f ire siege engine produces a mishap. Usually a mishap applies the broken condition. A siege engine with the broken condition takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, targeting checks, and damage rolls. If the creature that serves as crew leader has the Siege Engineer feat, that creature does not generate a mishap on a natural 1 when f iring the siege engine.

Range: Any attack at a distance greater than that listed in this entry is penalized for range. Beyond this range, the attack or targeting check takes a cumulative –2 penalty for each full-range increment (or fraction thereof ) of distance to the target. Some siege engines have a minimum range for effectiveness, listed in parentheses after its range. Type: Like weapons, siege engines are classif ied according to the type of damage they deal: B for bludgeoning, P for piercing, or S for slashing. Some siege engines deal energy damage. In those cases, the type of energy damage is listed instead. Crew: This column gives the number of Medium creatures needed to properly operate the siege engine. Aim: This column gives the number of full-round actions required to aim a siege engine. If the siege engine is being controlled by less than its normal crew complement, the number of actions it takes for the crew to aim the siege engine is doubled. Load: This column gives the number of full-round actions required to load a siege engine.

Siege Engine Qualities

Siege engines are presented in the following format on Table 3. Cost: This value is the siege engine’s cost in gold pieces (gp). The cost includes gear needed to work the engine as well as gear for upkeep. Typical ammunition costs and weights are given in the siege engine descriptions. Damage: This entry gives the damage typically dealt by the siege engine. Unlike normal ranged weapons, siege engines deal full damage to objects. Siege engines do not deal sneak attack damage or any other kind of precision damage. Critical: The entry for this column notes how the engine is used with the rules for critical hits (Core Rulebook 144). Unlike normal ranged weapons, siege engines can deal critical damage to objects as well as creatures.

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Siege Engine Descriptions

The following siege engines are available in the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Ballista: A ballista resembles a massive crossbow, and its power is provided by twisted skeins of animal sinew used as torsion springs driving a pair of adjustable arms. A cord attached to both arms is winched back and a projectile is loaded into a grooved slider for release. Ballistae are direct-f ire siege engines. Light: This common type of ballista, also called an arbalest or scorpion, is Large, maneuverable, and often mounted on ships. Light ballistae have a hardness of 5 and 50 hit points. Light ballista bolts cost 10 gp each and weigh 10 pounds.

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Heavy: These Huge siege engines are commonly used as castle defenses, as well as on large warships. Heavy ballistae have a hardness of 5 and 100 hit points. Heavy ballista bolts cost 30 gp and weigh 20 pounds each. Catapult: Catapults are stone-throwing siege engines powered by winched arms that run through torsion skeins, and hold their payload in a cup that swings up and over the weapon when released. Catapults can hurl a variety of different types of ammunition (the damage given is for stone projectiles; other types of ammunition can be found in the Special Siege Engine Ammunition section, below). Catapults are indirect-f ire siege engines. Light: These catapults are Large and often mounted on wheels. The targeting DC of a light catapult is 15. Light catapults have a hardness of 5 and 50 hit points. Light catapult stones cost 10 gp and weigh 50 pounds each. Standard: These Huge catapults are too large to be transported in one piece, and require assembly. The targeting DC of a standard catapult is 20. Standard catapults have a hardness of 5 and 100 hit points. Standard catapult stones cost 15 gp and weigh 75 pounds each. Corvus: A corvus is a boarding device that features a hinged counterweight system for mounting a bridge vertically on the side of a ship, with a hooked end to grab onto a target ship. A corvus is usually 10 feet wide and 15 feet long. It has a hardness of 5 and 10 hit points per square. Using a corvus requires a DC 10 Profession (siege engineer) check as a full-round action, provided the corvus is in the correct position, which is within the length of the corvus and adjacent to another ship. If the check fails, the corvus fails to catch on the target and must be reset (a full-round action). Once a corvus is attached, it takes a Strength check as a full-round action to dislodge the corvus. Alternatively, if the corvus is attached to a ship, the pilot of either ship can make a sailing check as a standard action to dislodge the corvus (a check that succeeds by 5 or more destroys the corvus). The base DC for either of these checks is 15, and the DC increases by 5 for every Small or Medium creature currently standing on the corvus. If a corvus is disengaged while creatures are standing on it, those creatures must make a DC 15 Ref lex saving throw or fall. Succeeding at the saving throw allows them to move to the nearest area of safe ground, but such movement provokes attacks of opportunity. A corvus cannot be armored. A corvus does not count toward a ship’s maximum number of siege engines. Firedrake: These Huge siege engines are often mounted on wheels. This apparatus f ires gouts of alchemist’s f ire in either a 60-foot line or a 30-foot cone (siege crew leader’s choice). Targets in the area take 6d6 points of f ire damage (DC 15 Ref lex save for half damage); those who fail their saves also catch on f ire. A f iredrake with the broken condition that suffers a further mishap explodes, dealing

its damage to all creatures within a 20-foot-radius burst (DC 15 Ref lex save for half damage). Firedrakes have a hardness of 10 and 70 hit points. One use of f iredrake ammunition costs 200 gp and weighs 20 pounds. Springal: A springal uses a torsion-cranked composite paddle to strike a f iring rack containing multiple arrows, which rain down in an arc over a burst area. Springals are indirect-f ire siege engines that affect the targeted square and a 15-foot burst around that square. One use of arrow springal ammunition costs 20 gp and weighs 10 pounds.

Special Siege Engine Ammunition

The following kinds of ammunition can be used in select types of indirect-f ire siege engines. The ammunition description specif ies which types of siege engines can use the special ammunition. The costs and weights on Table 4 are for individual uses of special ammunition.

TABLE 4: SPECIAL SIEGE ENGINE AMMUNITION Ammunition Alchemist’s fire Chain shot Liquid ice Plague bundle Smoke shot

Cost Weight 200 gp 10 lbs. 50 gp 30 lbs. 400 gp 20 lbs. 80 gp 20 lbs. 250 gp 20 lbs.

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Alchemist’s Fire: This is either a hard, ceramic container of alchemist’s f ire that can be used as ammunition in catapults, or a ceramic bulb of alchemist’s f ire mounted on the tip of a ballista bolt to be f ired from ballistae. When it hits its target square, it deals 4d6 points of f ire damage to each creature and wooden structure within 5 feet of the target space, and each creature must make a DC 20 Ref lex saving throw or catch on f ire (wooden objects automatically catch on f ire). Every creature and wooden object within the area between 5 and 30 feet of the target space must make a DC 20 Ref lex saving throw or take half the f ire damage, but does not catch on f ire. On a siege engine mishap, this ammunition explodes before it is launched, dealing its damage to the siege engine and all nearby creatures and wooden objects as if one of the spaces of the siege engine (crew leader’s choice) were the target square. This alchemical f ire ignores the hardness of wooden objects. Chain Shot: Made of two small catapult stones chained together, this ammunition can be f ired from catapults. Chain shot is especially good at tearing through sails and rigging, dealing double its normal damage to that form of propulsion. It deals normal damage to a creature, and if hit, the creature must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw or be knocked prone. Chain shot is relatively ineffective against ships themselves, dealing only 2d6

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points of damage for a light catapult, or 4d6 points of damage for a standard catapult. Liquid Ice: This hard, ceramic canister f illed with alchemical liquid ice can be used as ammunition in catapults. When it hits its target square, it deals 4d6 points of cold damage to each creature within 5 feet of the target space, and each creature must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or become entangled for 1 round. Every creature within the area between 5 and 30 feet of the target space must make a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw or take half damage. On a siege engine mishap, this ammunition explodes before it is launched, dealing its damage to all nearby creatures as if one of the spaces of the siege engine (crew leader’s choice) were the target square. Plague Bundle: This hard, ceramic canister is f illed with a noxious mass of diseased carrion and offal that can be used as ammunition for a catapult. It deals only half damage, but every creature hit by it is exposed to f ilth fever (Core Rulebook 557). A GM might allow a plague bundle to inf lict other diseases. Smoke Shot: This hard ceramic sphere contains two alchemical substances separated by a thin barrier, much like a smoke pellet (Advanced Player’s Guide 185) in larger form. It can be used as ammunition in catapults. When smoke shot hits the target space, it deals 2d6 points of damage to any creature in that space, and the substances mingle and then create an area of foul but harmless yellow smoke radiating 30 feet from the target square. Treat the effect as a fog cloud spell. On a siege engine mishap, the ammunition explodes before it is launched. Its effect is centered on one of the spaces of the siege engine (crew leader’s choice).

for the ships. These are not included in the cost of the ship, nor are additions like rams or siege engines. AC and Hardness: The ship’s base Armor Class and hardness, based on its size, defenses, and its construction material (hardness 5 for most wooden ships). To calculate the ship’s actual AC, add the current pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or Wisdom modif ier, if she is using that ability to drive the ship) to the ship’s base AC. Touch attacks against a ship ignore its pilot’s sailing skill or ability modif ier; thus a ship’s base AC is its touch AC. A ship is never considered f lat-footed. If the ship is not in motion, it has an effective Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC), and an additional –2 penalty to its AC. hp: The ship’s total hit points. A ship that takes damage in excess of half its total hit points gains the broken condition. At 0 or fewer hit points, a ship gains the sinking condition. A ship that sinks completely is considered destroyed. Ships do not have ability scores, and are immune to ability score damage or drain. They are also immune to bleed damage. Unlike other objects, ships do not take half damage from energy attacks, but do take half damage from all ranged weapons except siege engines. This line also lists the total hit points for the ship’s oars and sails, if any. Base Save: The ship’s base save modif ier. All of the ship’s saving throws (Fortitude, Ref lex, and Will) have the same value. To determine a ship’s actual saving throw modif iers, add half the pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or half the pilot’s Wisdom modifier) to the ship’s base saving throw. A ship is immune to most effects that require a Will saving throw (though pilots, crew members, and passengers typically are not). Maximum Speed: This is the fastest that a ship can move. When a ship has more than one means of propulsion, it may also have more than one maximum speed. If a ship has sails, it can move at double its maximum wind propulsion speed when it moves in the direction of the wind. Acceleration: This is how fast a ship can increase its speed each round. It also determines the maximum amount a ship can safely decelerate each round. CMB and CMD: The ship’s base CMB and CMD. To calculate the ship’s actual CMB and CMD, add the current pilot’s sailing skill modif ier (or Wisdom modif ier, if she is using that ability to drive the ship) to the ship’s base CMB. A ship is never considered f lat-footed. If the ship is not in motion, it has an effective Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to CMD), and an additional –2 penalty to its CMD. Ramming Damage: The base damage dealt by the ship on a successful ramming attack (without a ram). Propulsion: The types of propulsion used by the ship. Sailing Check: The skills typically used to make a sailing check with this type of ship.

Ship Statistics

A vast variety of boats and ships exist in the real world, from small rafts and longboats to intimidating galleons and swift galleys. To represent the numerous distinctions of shape and size that exist between water-going vessels, the following stat blocks categorize several standard ship sizes and their respective statistics, including all water vehicles that characters can purchase in the Core Rulebook. GMs can use or alter the statistics below to create new ships for specif ic cultures or races to suit the needs of their individual campaigns. All ships have the following traits. Name: The name or type of the ship. Size and Type: The size and type of the ship. Squares: The number of 30-foot squares the ship takes up on the battle mat, followed by the ship’s actual dimensions. A ship’s width is always considered to be one square. Cost: The ship’s cost in gp. Sometimes the description or the weapons section provides possible modif ications

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Control Device: The typical control device the pilot uses to steer the ship. Means of Propulsion: The actual means and amount of propulsion used to move the ship. Crew: This is the minimum number of crew members needed to move the ship, in addition to the pilot. If a ship uses muscle propulsion, the number and size of creatures providing the propulsion are listed here as well. Any crew required to operate a ship’s siege engines is in addition to this number. Decks: The usual number of decks on a ship and any important information about those decks is given in this section. Cargo/Passengers: The amount of cargo (in tons) a ship can hold, as well as the number of non-crew passengers it can carry.

the forward or aft sides of the ship. These siege engines cannot be used while the galley is being rowed. For an additional 8,000 gp, a galley can be f itted with a ram and castles with f iring platforms fore, aft, and amidships. Each of these f iring platforms can hold a single Large or Huge direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engine. Siege engines on the fore and aft firing platforms can be swiveled to f ire out the sides of the ship or either forward or aft, depending on their position. A siege engine on the amidships can be swiveled to f ire out either side of the ship. Junk Colossal ship Squares 3 (20 ft. by 75 ft.) Cost 15,000 gp DEFENSE

AC 2; Hardness 5 hp 900 (sails 360) Base Save +6

Galley Colossal ship Squares 4 (20 ft. by 130 ft.); Cost 30,000 gp

OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 90 ft. (wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8

DEFENSE

AC 2; Hardness 5 hp 1,560 (oars 1,400, sails 320) Base Save +8

STATISTICS

Propulsion wind or current Sailing Check Profession (sailor) Control Device tiller Means of Propulsion 90 squares of sails (three masts) Crew 10 Decks 2 Cargo/Passengers 100 tons/100 passengers

OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 60 ft. (muscle), 60 ft. (wind), or 120 ft. (muscle and wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8 STATISTICS

Propulsion muscle, wind, or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using wind or current) Control Device tiller Means of Propulsion 140 oars, 80 squares of sails (two masts) Crew 200 (60+140 Medium rowers) Decks 3 Cargo/Passengers 150 tons/250 passengers

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This f lat-bottomed sailing ship from Tian Xia has two or three masts with junk-rigged sails, allowing it to be easily sailed by a small crew. Junks typically have a high poop deck and a f lat bottom with no keel, and so rely on daggerboards, leeboards, or large rudders for stability. A junk’s hull is divided into several watertight compartments, like a stalk of bamboo, which strengthen the hull and slow f looding. Junks are capable of ocean travel, and have a waterborne speed of 2 miles per hour or 48 miles per day. Weapons: Up to 12 Large direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engines in banks of six positioned on the port and starboard sides of the ship, or up to four Huge direct-f ire siege engines in banks of two on the port and starboard sides of the ship. These siege engines may only f ire out the sides of the ship that they are positioned on and cannot f ire toward the forward or aft sides of the ship. In addition, up to two Large direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engines may be positioned one each on the forward and aft sides of the ship (one Huge direct-f ire or indirectf ire siege engine may be positioned on the aft side of the

One of the largest sailing ships on the sea, a galley has 70 oars on either side. A galley can be any large ship that primarily relies on oars for propulsion, but also contains one to three masts with sails. Galleys typically stick close to the coast, as long ocean voyages are risky in such vessels. This stat block can be used to represent a variety of historical galleys, from biremes and triremes to galliots and dromons. Weapons: Up to 40 Large direct-f ire siege engines in banks of 20 positioned on the port and starboard sides of the ship, or up to 12 Huge direct-f ire siege engines in banks of six on the port and starboard sides of the ship. These siege engines may only f ire out the sides of the ship that they are positioned on and cannot f ire toward

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ship instead, but the forward side can only f it a Large siege weapon). These siege engines can be swiveled to f ire out either side of the ship, or either forward or aft, depending on their position.

Crew 15 (7+8 Medium rowers) Decks 1 Cargo/Passengers 50 tons/100 passengers

OFFENSE

This f lat-bottomed ship has a few oars to supplement its single mast with a square sail. It can make both sea and river voyages. Keelboats are designed to carry cargo, rather than for f ighting. Types of keelboats include the cog, hoy, hulk, karve, and knarr. Weapons: One Large direct-fire or indirect-fire siege engine positioned on the forward or aft side of the ship. This siege engine can be swiveled to fire out either side of the ship, or either forward or aft, depending on its position.

Maximum Speed 30 ft. (muscle), 30 ft. (wind), or 60 ft. (muscle and wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +4; CMD 14 Ramming Damage 4d8

Longship Colossal ship Squares 3 (15 ft. by 75 ft.) Cost 10,000 gp

Keelboat Gargantuan ship Squares 2 (15 ft. by 50 ft.) Cost 3,000 gp DEFENSE

AC 6; Hardness 5 hp 600 (oars 80, sails 80) Base Save +4

STATISTICS

DEFENSE

Propulsion muscle, wind, or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using wind or current) Control Device tiller Means of Propulsion 8 oars, 20 squares of sails (one mast)

AC 2; Hardness 5 hp 675 (oars 400, sails 120) Base Save +5 OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 30 ft. (muscle), 60 ft. (wind), or 90 ft. (muscle and wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8

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Propulsion muscle, wind, or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using wind or current) Control Device tiller Means of Propulsion 40 oars, 30 squares of sails (one mast) Crew 50 (10+40 Medium rowers) Decks 1 (with small cargo area under the deck) Cargo/Passengers 50 tons/100 passengers This long and relatively narrow boat has a single mast with a square sail and 40 oars. It can traverse lakes, oceans, and deep rivers. This stat block can be used to represent Norse longships such as the karvi, snekkja, and skei, as well as the balinger and birlinn. Weapons: Up to two Large direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engines positioned one each on the forward and aft sides of the ship. These siege engines can be swiveled to f ire out either side of the ship, or either forward or aft, depending on their position. Raft Large ship Squares 1 (10 ft. by 10 ft.) Cost — DEFENSE

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AC 9; Hardness 5 hp 30 (oars 20)

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Base Save +0

any of a number small open boats propelled by oars, such as dinghies, dories, skiffs, and wherries.

OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 30 ft. (muscle); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +1; CMD 11 Ramming Damage 1d8

Sailing Ship Colossal ship Squares 3 (30 ft. by 90 ft.) Cost 10,000 gp

STATISTICS

Propulsion muscle or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using current) Control Device oars Means of Propulsion 2 oars Crew 1 (the pilot, who is also a rower, plus up to 3 additional Medium rowers) Decks 1 Cargo/Passengers 1,000 pounds/up to 3 passengers (a raft can carry a total of 4 Medium creatures, either as crew or passengers)

DEFENSE

AC 2; Hardness 5 hp 1,620 (sails 360) Base Save +6 OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 90 ft. (wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8 STATISTICS

Propulsion wind or current Sailing Check Profession (sailor) Control Device steering wheel Means of Propulsion 90 squares of sails (three masts) Crew 20 Decks 2 or 3 Cargo/Passengers 150 tons/120 passengers

The most basic and primitive type of ship, a raft is a simple, f lat boat with no hull, often made of logs lashed together, using two to four oars for propulsion. Rafts are not designed for ocean travel. A raft cannot carry any siege engines.

This massive sailing ship has one to four masts (usually two or three) with either square or lateen sails. Often they have raised forecastles and sterncastles. Sailing ships are primarily used for ocean travel. Most merchant ships, and many military and pirate vessels are sailing ships of one type or another. Sailing ships come in a variety of different designs, including barques, brigantines, caravels, carracks, larger cogs, frigates, galleons, schooners, sloops, and xebecs. A sailing ship with four masts and outf itted with siege engines is often known as a man-o’-war. Weapons: Up to 20 Large direct-f ire siege engines in banks of 10 positioned on the port and starboard sides of the ship, or up to six Huge direct-f ire siege engines in banks of three on the port and starboard sides of the ship. These siege engines may only f ire out the sides of the ship that they are positioned on and cannot f ire toward the forward or aft sides of the ship. In addition, up to two Large or one Huge direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engine may be positioned on both the forecastle and sterncastle of the ship. These siege engines can be swiveled to f ire out the sides of the ship or either forward or aft, depending on their position.

Rowboat Large ship Squares 1 (5 ft. by 10 ft.) Cost 50 gp DEFENSE

AC 9; Hardness 5 hp 60 (oars 20) Base Save +1 OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 30 ft. (muscle); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +1; CMD 11 Ramming Damage 1d8 STATISTICS

Propulsion muscle or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using current) Control Device oars Means of Propulsion 2 to 4 oars Crew 1 (the pilot, who is also a rower, plus up to 1 additional Medium rower) Decks 1 Cargo/Passengers 1,000 pounds/up to 3 passengers (a rowboat can carry a total of 4 Medium creatures, either as crew or passengers)

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Ship’s Boat Large ship Squares 1 (10 ft. by 20 ft.) Cost 500 gp

This small boat has two to four oars and is primarily used to ferry a few passengers across small areas of water such as a harbor, stream, or small lake. Larger ships use rowboats as tenders or lifeboats. A rowboat cannot carry any siege engines. This stat block can be used to represent

DEFENSE

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AC 9; Hardness 5 hp 120 (oars 60, sails 40)

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Base Save +2

Decks 2 Cargo/Passengers 50 tons/160 passengers

OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 30 ft. (muscle or wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +1; CMD 11 Ramming Damage 1d8

This ship is crafted of reinforced wood with a single mast and magically treated sails, although oars can also propel it. A warship is used for short-distance forays and troop deployment, as it does not have cargo space to carry supplies for large numbers of passengers over a long distance. Like galleys, warships are not designed for sea voyages and tend to stick close to the coast. A warship is not used for cargo. The largest Norse longships, called drekar or drakkar, as well as very large galleys such as galleasses and lantern galleys, are all considered warships. Weapons: Up to 20 Large direct-f ire siege engines in banks of 10 are positioned on the port and starboard sides of the ship, or up to six Huge direct-f ire siege engines in banks of three on the ship’s port and starboard sides. These siege engines may only f ire out the sides of the ship that they are positioned on and cannot f ire toward the forward or aft sides of the ship. These siege engines cannot be used while the warship is being rowed. For an additional 8,000 gp, a warship can be f itted with a ram and castles with f iring platforms fore, aft, and amidships. Each of these f iring platforms can hold a single Large or Huge direct-f ire or indirect-f ire siege engine. Siege engines on the fore and aft firing platforms can be swiveled to f ire out the sides of the ship or either forward or aft, depending on their position. A siege engine on the amidships can be swiveled to f ire out either side of the ship.

STATISTICS

Propulsion muscle, wind, or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using wind or current) Control Device oars Means of Propulsion 6 oars, 10 squares of sails (one mast) Crew 4 to 10 Medium rowers Decks 1 Cargo/Passengers 2 tons/up to 12 passengers (depending on size, a ship’s boat can carry up to a total of 16 Medium creatures, either as crew or passengers) Ship’s boats are usually carried on the decks of larger ships to use as tenders to ferry passengers and cargo from ship to shore or between ships. Some ship’s boats are reserved for the use of off icers, while others are used as landing craft or to carry boarding parties. An average ship’s boat is 16 to 24 feet long (though the largest ship’s boats can be upward of 30 feet long) and has anywhere from four to 10 oars as well as a single mast with a square or lateen sail. A ship’s boat has a waterborne speed of 2 miles per hour or 20 miles per day. A ship’s boat cannot carry any siege engines. This stat block can be used to represent any of several types of ship’s boats, such as cutters, gigs, jolly boats, launches, longboats, or pinnaces, as well as other small, open boats such as faerings, sampans, and whaleboats.

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Ship Modifications

Warship Colossal ship Squares 4 (20 ft. by 100 ft.) Cost 25,000 gp

Not all ships are created equally. Players looking for a ship that is faster, tougher, or more agile might consider adding modif ications to their vessels. Each of the following ship improvements must be planned, built, or installed (as appropriate) by someone with the Craft (ships) skill or other skill or feat, as described in the Requirements line. In order to alter a ship with one of the following modif ications, the shipwright must make a skill check, with the f inal DC dependent upon the overall complexity of the desired modif ication. A failed check means that this particular ship-builder is unable to install that feature, though 1/2 of the cost of the feature is nonetheless expended on wasted parts. Another shipwright must be consulted to complete the work, but the DC for his check is increased by 2 if any previous modif ications were made by another shipwright (different builders have different techniques).

DEFENSE

AC 2; Hardness 10 hp 1,200 (oars 600, sails 320) Base Save +7 OFFENSE

Maximum Speed 60 ft. (muscle), 30 ft. (wind), or 90 ft. (muscle and wind); Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8 STATISTICS

Propulsion muscle, wind, or current Sailing Check Diplomacy or Intimidate (when using muscle); Profession (sailor) (when using wind or current) Control Device tiller Means of Propulsion 60 oars, 40 squares of magically-treated sails (one mast) Crew 80 (20+60 Medium rowers)

Ship Improvements

h

The following ship improvements can be added to a ship.

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Additional Crew Quarters: This translates into more space for a ship’s sailors to sleep and eat. The ship may support 10% more passengers, but its cargo capacity is decreased by 10%. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 22 Cost: 20% of base ship cost Armor Plating: By attaching metal plates to the ship, the hull’s hit points are increased by +15% and its hardness is increased by +4. This modif ication reduces a ship’s cargo capacity by 15%. The armor plating slows the ship, imposing a –1 penalty on all sailing checks. The ship’s tactical speed in ship-to-ship combat is not affected, but its waterborne speed is reduced by 20%. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 28 Cost: 30% of base ship cost Broad Rudder: A wide rudder makes a ship more nimble, granting a +1 bonus on all sailing checks. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 16 Cost: 500 gp Concealed Weapon Port: The ship’s belowdecks area undergoes major reconstruction in order to house Large direct-f ire siege engines, such as light ballistae or cannons, if they are in use in the campaign. A concealed weapon port can only be recognized on a successful DC 15 Perception check. Each concealed port reduces a ship’s cargo capacity by 5 tons, in addition to the space required by the weapon itself. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 16 Cost: 100 gp per port (in addition to the cost of the weapons) Extended Keel: The ship’s keel is longer than usual for a vessel of its type. The ship’s measurements from bow to stern are 10% longer than normal, though cargo capacity is not appreciably affected. The ship is more stable, and grants a +1 bonus on all sailing checks. This improvement must be installed at the time of the ship’s construction and cannot be added later. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 19 Cost: 10% of base ship cost Figurehead: Some ships sport fanciful carvings on their bowsprits. This modif ication is strictly cosmetic, with no real impact on game play. Players are encouraged to design their own custom f igureheads, such as dolphins, mermaids, and other such creatures of myth. Requirements: Craft (carpentry) or Craft (sculptures) DC 10 Cost: 100–1,000 gp, depending on the port and the craftsman Glass Bottom: The bottom of the ship is inset with wide windows, permitting those inside to gaze into the ocean. This has no effect on ship performance, other than making the ship’s bottom only as strong as thick glass (hardness 1, hp 3, Break DC 8).

Requirements: Craft (glass) DC 19 Cost: 5% of base ship cost Increased Cargo Capacity: An eff icient remodeling of the ship’s layout means more room for the ship’s stores. The ship’s cargo capacity is increased by 10%. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 22 Cost: 15% of base ship cost Magically Treated Control Device: The ship’s steering wheel or tiller is magically treated, doubling its hit points and hardness. This improvement can only be added by a spellcaster with the Craft Wondrous Item feat. Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (ships) DC 15 Cost: 1,000 gp Magically Treated Hull: The ship’s hull is magically treated, doubling the ship’s hit points and hardness. This improvement can only be added by a spellcaster with the Craft Wondrous Item feat. Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (ships) DC 15 Cost: 4,500 gp per square of ship Magically Treated Oars: The ship’s oars are magically treated, doubling their hit points and hardness. This improvement can only be added by a spellcaster with the Craft Wondrous Item feat.

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Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (carpentry) or Craft (ships) DC 15 Cost: 100 gp per oar Magically Treated Sails: The ship’s sails are magically treated, doubling their hit points and hardness. This improvement can only be added by a spellcaster with the Craft Wondrous Item feat. Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Craft (sails) DC 15 Cost: 500 gp per 5-foot-square of sails Movable Deck: The features of the ship’s decks are designed to be moved in order to disguise the ship as an altogether different vessel. After pulling up dozens of kingpins, the crew can slide the sterncastle forward on hidden rails, rearrange the position of the masts, extend the gunwales, lower the poop deck, transfer the ship’s wheel, and make other cosmetic changes such as a new f igurehead and different-colored sails. The secret pins, levers, and tracks can only be found with a DC 20 Perception check during a close examination of the ship. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 28 Cost: 40% of base ship cost Narrow Hull: The ship has been intentionally designed with a more slender hull, enabling it to slip through smaller spaces. The ship’s beam (width) is decreased by 20%, and cargo capacity is reduced by 10%. However, the ship gains a +2 bonus on all sailing checks. This improvement must be installed at the time of the ship’s construction and cannot be added later. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 22 Cost: 15% of base ship cost Ram: The ship bears a standard ram, usually sheathed in bronze or iron, mounted on its bow. A ship equipped with a ram deals an additional 2d8 points of damage with a ramming maneuver, and ignores the damage for the f irst square it enters of a solid object, and all damage from ramming creatures or other objects (such as other ships). Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 10 Cost: 50 gp (Large ship), 100 gp (Huge ship), 300 gp (Gargantuan ship), or 1,000 gp (Colossal ship) Rapid-Deploy Sails: The ship’s rigging undergoes a wholesale change as improvements in engineering enable the sails to be raised and lowered much faster than normal. Any sail adjustments can be made in half the normal time, granting a +1 bonus on all sailing checks.

Requirements: Craft (sails) or Knowledge (engineering) DC 25 Cost: 10% of base ship cost Silk Sails: Few ship improvements are as beautiful as the addition of silk sails. These sails can be designed in whatever color the player desires; they are often embroidered with striking images of the sea. Such sails are usually imported from faraway lands. Silk sails give the ship superior rates of movement, as they capture and displace the wind more eff iciently. A ship with silk sails gains a +1 bonus on opposed sailing checks to gain the upper hand. The ship’s tactical speed in ship-toship combat is not affected, but its waterborne speed is increased by 10%. Requirements: Craft (sails) DC 16 Cost: 15% of base ship cost Smuggling Compartments: The ship’s bulkheads are modified so that gaps between them can serve as hidden cargo storage areas. This does not change a ship’s cargo capacity. A smuggling compartment can hold anything that fits within a 5-foot cubic space. If you are using the plunder rules (see “The Life of a Pirate” in Pathfinder Adventure Path #55 for details on the plunder system), in general, two smuggling compartments are required to hold 1 point of plunder. A DC 20 Perception check is required to locate smuggling compartments in a search of the ship. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 19 Cost: 500 gp per 5-foot-square compartment Sturdy Hull: The ship’s body has had additional supports and layers of wood added to it, making it thicker and more resilient. The hull’s hardness is increased by 2, but the ship’s cargo capacity is reduced by 10%. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 16 Cost: 10% of base ship cost Wooden Plating: For protection during naval combat, this ship has received additional wooden planks nailed to its hull. The hull’s hit points are increased by 5% and its hardness is increased by 2. However, this reduces cargo capacity by 10% as extra room must be made inside for beams to support the reinforcements. The ship’s tactical speed in ship-to-ship combat is not affected, but its waterborne speed is reduced by 10%. Requirements: Craft (ships) DC 25 Cost: 20% of base ship cost

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Ship Counters

Player’s Guide

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Ship Name

Campaign

Ship Type

Sailing Check

Ship Sheet AC

AC

armor class

HP sails/ oars max speed

Total

OFFICERS

hardness

touch

POSITION

current hp

NAME

accel.

saves

initiative

CMB

CMD

ramming damage

WEAPON TYPE

RANGE

ATTACK BONUS CRITICAL

CREW

AIM

LOAD

DAMAGE

CREW NAME

JOB

total crew

cargo cap

AMMUNITION

WEAPON TYPE

RANGE

ATTACK BONUS CRITICAL

CREW

AIM

LOAD

DAMAGE

AMMUNITION

WEAPON RANGE

CREW

AIM

LOAD

DAMAGE

AMMUNITION

WEAPON TYPE

RANGE

ATTACK BONUS CRITICAL

CREW

AIM

LOAD

DAMAGE

AMMUNITION

cargo/passengers/impositions

SHIP IMPROVEMENTS

plunder

infamy

disrepute

© 2012 Paizo Publishing, LLC. Permission granted to photocopy for personal use only.

TYPE

ATTACK BONUS CRITICAL